Public gathers to learn about new pool

The city of Shawnee hosted an open forum at the Heart of Oklahoma Exposition Center to discuss possibilities regarding the Municipal Swimming Pool.

By Carmen Bourlon

The city of Shawnee hosted an open forum at the Heart of Oklahoma Exposition Center to discuss possibilities regarding the Municipal Swimming Pool.

The pool renovation, which is budgeted at around $3 million, is being handled by Water’s Edge Aquatic Design. Their presentation included two options for what could happen with the swimming pool.

Both options included moving the concession stand to the west side to make it more accessible during park events. Both options also included zero-depth entry, and slides and other accessories.

One option included renovating the current pool, while adding a wall around the deep end of the pool to provide more depth for diving.

The second option was to scrap the current pool shell and build a completely new pool.

Both options included renovating the current bathhouse, and moving it back from the pool to give a more spacious feeling.

While the second option is more expensive than renovating the existing pool, presenter Jeff Bartley estimated the cost difference would be a few $100,000 of a $3 million budget.

He added that exact figures for both options have not been calculated.

Director of Operations James Bryce said public comments and opinions will be gathered and brought back to the pool committee for further consideration. After the pool committee makes a recommendation, it will go before the full Shawnee City Commission for a vote.

Bryce said he hopes to have a decision made by May or June of this year so construction can begin in August or September or this year. He added that he hopes to have plenty of time for construction, should something unexpected come up.

“We’ve moved pretty quickly with what we have now,” he said.

The Shawnee Municipal Pool was built before World War II and has only had four upgrades in 76 years of use, so it is in dire need of repair. Because of this, it will not be open for the 2013 season, though the city is working to come up with a solution so Shawnee residents will have a place to swim.